lowliferat
certified hack
just curious to see if anyone is doing a build of something along this line, i am leaning this type of build for my next chop.
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any one doing a survival/rat build up?
- Thread starter lowliferat
- Start date
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I'm just starting one myself. http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15191
About all I know is don't send a lot of time and money on paint and polish. Keep her naked. There's lots of techniques out there on how to make a finish look old and warn out.
About all I know is don't send a lot of time and money on paint and polish. Keep her naked. There's lots of techniques out there on how to make a finish look old and warn out.
lowliferat
certified hack
i oogled attack choppers and read what Bird had to say about his insperation and rat bike zone over in england had some pretty cool ideas.
nic81xs
XS650 Addict
I always understood that rats aren't built, they just slowly happen over time. Here's one I saw in Austin a couple of days ago, a 1975.
This is Donovan's famous Austin rat. He did build it from the ground up as a rat.
A detail of Donovan's build.
And, here is a link to Donovan's seat:
http://www.650motorcycles.com/DonovanSeat.html
A little more rat inspiration, this time it's a 1974 iron head.
CDNTX650
XS650 Guru
heres mine i am doing,. 1975 i just picked up. i love the patina to the paint, thats what made me love it,.
havent started yet. Motor will be torn down completely to cases and rebuilt. but i am going to just wash it real well to clean the dirt and grease off of it and see what it looks like. it will get strutted, want it to be like a strutted 60's era bonneville. single bs34 that i just rebuilt for it. Get it as safe as my 74, but have it look ooold. should be kind of a fun challenge. if i hate it later on i can always clean it up more....havent decided if i want a 750 kit or not....i do have a 78 also that i may eventually 750 instead and do a non-cv carb on. I just want it reliable, and patinad, so single bs34, and pamco.
havent started yet. Motor will be torn down completely to cases and rebuilt. but i am going to just wash it real well to clean the dirt and grease off of it and see what it looks like. it will get strutted, want it to be like a strutted 60's era bonneville. single bs34 that i just rebuilt for it. Get it as safe as my 74, but have it look ooold. should be kind of a fun challenge. if i hate it later on i can always clean it up more....havent decided if i want a 750 kit or not....i do have a 78 also that i may eventually 750 instead and do a non-cv carb on. I just want it reliable, and patinad, so single bs34, and pamco.
ProSimex
XS650 Addict
Im on the ratbike.org forum all the time. Awesome people, very funny and helpfull. to rat a bike requires a bucket of cheap matte paint. Do not rat the bike, let the bike rat itself. Look at the bike pics on there as well, very neat.
Build a rat bike? Why spend time building what you can create simply by riding? Ride your bike, don't wash it. When it gets scratched up do a half-assed job of repairing the scratches... If something falls off that you don't need then don't put it back on. All my bikes eventually become rats. Real rats, not fake rats. Those are the only kind of motorcycles a man can truly love.
Then, in 20 or 30 years you can do a restoration.
Then, in 20 or 30 years you can do a restoration.
ProSimex
XS650 Addict
Ageed!!!
I have tried to rat out but I swear a bike has never left my hands that wasn't in (at least a little) better shape than when I bought it. I guess Rat is what I START with.
Living where you do I guess you have more time to wrench and polish.
Seen at last night's Rocker's vs. Mods.
